VICTORIA — From the comfort of my home office, we’re back with another UFC Conference Call live blog.

Ten days from now, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make his return to the cage, squaring off with interim champion Carlos Condit in a battle to determine who is the undisputed king of the 170-pound weight class. Today, the two welterweight standouts and UFC President Dana White will field questions from the media, and I’ll be on the line bringing you all the question-and-answer goodness.

The call gets underway around 11am PT.

See you then.

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Remember how the last conference call was entertaining and got us all pumped for The Ultimate Fighter? I don’t expect this one to be nearly as exciting, though I do hope it builds some more interest in next weekend’s event because it feels to me like even though this is the long-awaited return of GSP and a title unification bout, UFC 154 doesn’t have the same kind of buzz you would normally associate with a fight of this magnitude.

Here we go – Dave Sholler kicking us off.

Limited tickets still available ten days out.

Next episode of Primetime is after The Ultimate Fighter on Friday.

Away we go…

Rick Wright, Albuquerque Journal (for Dana): Where does this main event rank in the history of the UFC?
White: This is a huge fight. GSP has been out for over a year, the most dominant champion in history of WW division, biggest PPV star in business. Condit doesn’t get enough credit; great ground skills, knockout power. This is a very tough fight.

Mack Ingham (for Condit): Do you feel like a big underdog? How do you get around it?
Condit: I do feel like an underdog, and I put myself in that mindset for most fights. I don’t think Georges being out is a big factor; his recovery seems to be coming along great.

Steven Marrocco, MMA Junkie (for Dana): Silva is going to be present, so do you expect an call-0ut if GSP wins?
White: No question that Silva wants that fight and will be cheering for GSP, so I would say yes.

Marrocco for GSP: What do you think of Anderson being there?
GSP: I don’t care about Anderson Silva. He can do what he wants. I’m focused on Carlos Condit.

Morgan Campbell, Toronto Star (for Dana): How important is it for the business of the UFC to have GSP back in action?
Dana: It’s a big deal; we missed him.

Campbell: Do you feel any pressure to help carry this brand and build it?
GSP: I always feel pressure – that’s why everyone is calling me out; to make money, but I only focus on Carlos.

Dave Deibert, PostMedia News (for Condit): You’re the one fighting GSP, but there is a lot of talk about another opponent for him. How do you take that?
Condit: I feel like there are people who are overlooking me, and I like playing the spoiler. I’m hoping to change a lot of plans.

Deibert: Does a super-fight between GSP and Anderson intrigue you as a fan?
Condit: I think so. They’re two of the greatest fighters to step into the Octagon, but first things first – Georges and I have to do our thing.

Reid Forgrave, FoxSports.com (for Dana): What is it about GSP that makes him a bigger PPV draw than anyone else?
White: He represents the belt well, this company well, and Canada well. The difference is he has an entire country behind him, and I don’t think anyone else has that.

Forgrave: How much of a hit has it been to not have him?
White: It sucks. When he’s gone for over a year, it’s definitely not a good thing.

Damon Martin, MMAWeekly (for GSP): How do you balance the criticism about not finishing without putting yourself in danger?
GSP: I want to be more opportunistic, and taking advantage of opportunities to finish when I have them. The critics are important.

Martin: When you look at passed fights, do you see moments where you’re self-critical?
GSP: I was happy with the Jon Fitch fight. I wasn’t happy with my last fight, against Jake Shields. BJ Penn fight, I was happy; I finished BJ Penn. He didn’t come back for the fifth round.

Martin (for White): I know we’re talking a lot about GSP-Silva, but what happens with Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann?
White: I have no idea. We’ll have to figure it out. People are overlooking Carlos Condit, and that’s a bad idea.

Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer (for Dana): If Condit wins and is impressive, is there a chance for Condit-Silva?
White: This fight between GSP and Anderson is a P4P fight; that’s really what it’s all about. If Condit wins this fight, he’ll defend the belt against whoever is next.

Radio Guy in Montreal (for White/Wright): Floor seats aren’t moving because they’re super-expensive. How do you combat that?
White: We’re still a week and a half out. The gate is over $3.1M right now. Maybe we did over-price this one a bit, but times are tough. We’ll see what happens.

Radio Guy: What would be your options?
White: I’ll be calling your radio station looking for giveaways.

Karyn Bryant, MMA Heat (for White): How does Nick Diaz fit in to the picture?
White: We’ll see what happens. Nick is still a way away from getting licensed, and who knows where we’ll be then.

Bryant (for GSP): Is that a fight you’d still like to have?
GSP: There have been a lot of guys calling me out, and Nick is one of them. Right now, the fight I want is Carlos Condit.

Bryant (for Condit): Any changes in camp?
Condit: Because Greg Jackson isn’t involved, I’ve had to bring in different people to fill his shoes. It’s not a huge departure what before, but rather adding and supplementing to what we’ve been doing.

Rick Wright (for GSP): Will you be back to Jackson’s after this?
GSP: Of course. I train in Montreal, and Greg always comes to me, and that won’t change because of this fight.

Wright (for Condit): How different has it been without Greg?
Condit: Hasn’t been a huge change. I still talk to Greg; he’s just not involved in my camp. The guys I’m training with now, I’ve been training with them for a long time. I really feel like I’m in good hands.

Mack Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (for Dana): GSP-Silva at Cowboys Stadium?
White: There are three venues you could do – Toronto, Dallas Texas Stadium, or a soccer stadium in Brazil. It’s fun to talk about this super-fight, but I’m sure it’s pissing Carlos off every time it’s asked. We have to get through this fight first.

This guy keeps asking about Cowboys Stadium. I loathe when this happens. Please ask questions that don’t just pertain to your area.

Dave Deibert (for GSP): Are the butterflies back?
GSP: Getting hurt made me realize how much I miss fighting. It’s like when you’re away from your girlfriend for a long time – you realize how much you miss her.

Russian Chicago Magazine (for GSP): What have you learned about your friends, training partners in your year away?
GSP: I changed things in my life to make it more efficient. I’m not burnt out now. I lost my fire in the last two fights. Now that I haven’t done this for a long time, I have it back. I’m excited to get into the cage, and enjoy every second of this experience again.

Nancy Audette (for Condit): You said Georges will have more pressure than you. What did you mean?
Condit: I felt a lot more pressure fighting in my hometown, and he’s coming back off an injury. He’s the man. He has the status. I have nothing to lose. I can just go in there and perform to the best of my ability.

Audette (for GSP): Do you concur Georges?
GSP: All my fights have pressure, no matter who I’m fighting. I’m always fighting for world titles. I’m used to fighting big fights and fighting at home. I perform at my best in those moments.

Audette (for all): Can we get your predictions?
Condit: I’m going to be the undisputed champion on November 18th.
GSP: It’s very similar – undisputed champ and win again.
(Dana has left the call for a meeting)

Jeffrey Harris, 411 Mania MMA (for GSP): You’ve talked about wanting have the feeling of getting into the cage again, not getting out. Have you felt that in the past?
GSP: I lost the fun of doing what I was doing. If you don’t have fun, don’t do it. I want to have fun, and enjoy what I do again. We have the best job in the world. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m very happy to do it.

Harris (for Condit): Is you being the hungrier fight going to make the difference? No one has been able to beat him. Why do you think you’ll be able to?
Condit: I feel like I have a skill set that poses problems for a lot of opponents that you don’t get from other guys. I’m well-rounded and able to take the fight to people. I’m mentally strong. We’re going to have to see how it goes. I know Georges is one of the best ever, and it’s an honor to compete against him, but I’m as ready as I’ve ever been.

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